That's great May, now back to things that actually matter…
This morning the NY Times reported that Ms. Debbie Almontaser, the founding principle of NYC's Khalil Gibran International Academy, filed a lawsuit against Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Education Department Chancellor Joel I. Klein for suppressing her freedom of speech and "conspire-[ing] to deny her the opportunity to regain her position as principle."
If you recall, a few months ago Ms. Almontaser was pressured into resigning after a few spineless officials - pandering to a gang of racist Zionuts and xenophobic turds who launched a smear campaign against her for explaining that the Arabic word for "intifada" literally means "shaking off" - made it damn near impossible for her to continue in her duties as school principle.
Well, she's suing now. And seeing as this is a clear cut case of her first amendment rights being violated, she's likely to win too. So in advance, I'd just like to thank all the racist douche bags (namely the Stop The Madrassa Coalition) who made it possible for another influential pro-Palestinian to turn millionaire. I'm sure Ms. Almontaser will use her new found wealth for something really evil and anti-Semitic too… like…gasp…education!
More KABOBcoverage on Ms. Debbie Almontaser and the Khalil Gibran International Academy.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
OH SNAP! Almontaser Sues NYC Mayor
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17 comments:
Actually, precedent is not quite as simple as you implied. Almontaser was not simply a public citizen expressing her views. She was a public official, in charge of educating children, expressing what some consider to constitute propaganda - justifying the brutal and deliberate mass murder of Israeli civilians (for the most part Jews) by Palestinian terrorist factions.
That's the kind of conduct many parents would not accept. I'm not so sure she will win this case, especially in New York.
No victor - she could always appeal to a higher court.
In a civil case filed in state court?
I don't think she would get very far, certainly not to federal appeals. The best she could do is NY Supreme Court. Perhaps someone with professional experience in law could verify this.
My mistake...
"The founding principal of the city’s first Arabic-language school has filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court against the city’s Education Department"
Of course, it's the Education Department, with Federal subsidies, so any action taken against her has cause to be argued in Federal Court.
She explained what the word "intifada" means. What a horrible propagandist. You know it's this funny thing about free speech, and yes, it doesn't matter who you are. If you are not advocating violence or doing something that is immediately dangerous to others, it's FREE.
Please! Debbie Almontaser wasn't forced to resign, she made that decision on her own. If she were such a victim of anti-Arab bias (which she's been claiming), why is NOBODY in the community defending her?
Most Arab Americans in NYC and Brooklyn know that Debbie is a self-centered egomaniac and she is only doing this for the attention. Many people in the community were glad to see all this happen to her!
Anon (the first one) I agree with you! Speech should be free and unrestricted, except in cases where it incites violence or is spreading nonfactual information.
However - I think the Kabob regulars who read the comments are starting to get a feel for where I am on this issue - free speech cuts both ways.
If you are ready to accept having a school principle educate children on the "intifada", without the context of a balanced curriculum, then you must also be ready to accept another high school principle educating children on "Palestinian terrorism", also without the context of a balanced curriculum.
As for Anon2's comments...
Are there any Arab-Americans in NY who have real insight on the community gossip regarding all this?
If there is one thing I've learned regarding Arab cultures, it is that nothing that happens in Arab communities is secret for long. Everyone knows everything; it's just a matter of whether a member of that community reads Kabobfest.
Hey You! Spill the beans already!
This is Anon 1 here. I don't think she said anything that could even be construed as inciting to violence, and unless you have already been so incredibly inundated with Zionist propaganda from ALL of the major media networks and journalistic endeavors, basically, in the United States, that you have lost the ability to think critically. If if you count all the major evening news and the NY Times, then the children probably get enough "balance" from the other side already.
What isn't "balanced" about the KGIA's academic curriculum? It's an American school that's Arabic-based, so it conforms to standard US curriculum... except a lot of it is offered in Arabic. If it didn't conform, it wouldn't be government funded. Clearly, the school's curriculum isn't at the heart of this controversy.
No one said that she was inciting violence, nor did I say that there was a problem with the school's curriculum. You guys need to read comments instead of skimming them.
"If you are ready to accept having a school principle educate children on the "intifada", without the context of a balanced curriculum, then you must also be ready to accept another high school principle educating children on "Palestinian terrorism", also without the context of a balanced curriculum."
The whole point is that she injected her own bias into the existing curriculum. If you believe that this is her free speech right, then you should not have a problem with another school principle injecting THEIR bias into the curriculum where your kids go to school - such as explaining Palestinian terrorism from their biased perspective.
Do we really want teachers editorializing school curriculum? This is a question you need to ask yourself. If the answer is yes, and their first amendment rights supersede all else, then I don't want to hear outrage next time a Christian teacher is teaching kids about Christ, or a Communist teacher is teaching kids about the evils of capitalism, or a Nazi teacher is teaching kids about how white people are superior to Jews and Blacks.
As for media disparity in covering the conflict, that's irrelevant. We are discussing a school setting. Schools are not here to compensate for any bias in the media - they must present a balance perspective regardless of any other influences the child may be subjected to.
What you are claiming Anon1 is that it is the role of schools to counter perceived media bias. Let's run with that example: if you have an Arab student who is anti-Israel, you think that the school should create a curriculum to counter his bias?
No, obviously. The role of schools is to provide a balanced perspective on issues that will enable children to make reasonable conclusions.
How did she inject her personal bias?
What's the full quote that protesters take issue with?
What's the full quote that protesters take issue with?
here it is:
"The word [intifada] basically means 'shaking off.' That is the root word if you look it up in Arabic," she said.
"I understand it is developing a nega tive connotation due to the uprising in the Palestinian-Israeli areas. I don't be lieve the intention is to have any of that kind of [violence] in New York City.
also.
Great. Thanks for the full quote. So it's obvious that she didn't inject her bias in the curriculum. Therefore, there is NO CONTROVERSY!
Victor-
Your imagined parallel between Almontaser defining the semantic root of the word "intifada" and a NYC teacher pushing a picture of Palestinian terrorism is entirely illusory. Give it up. She was shafted and deserves to ream Bloomberg and Klein 'til the camels come home.
Anon 12:33-
Nobody in the community's defending her? Numerous imams, rabbis, priests-even Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz. Some group of nobodies, huh?
Don't post if you let your anus do the talking.
Everyone-
The head of a school is a principal. Principles are what she is being punished for sticking to. We are in America now. Learn their language.
Nadeem-that bold statement proves you are overdue for a "bashing" post...stay tuned young shish your time will come...
No, I'm saying one principal explaining what intifada means will not suddenly, dramatically shift the balance of the world in such a way that we might actually start viewing the situation fairly here in America. Victor, I don't think I want to discuss this with you anymore. There a hundred little victors running around at various places in my life, and I really don't need another. It's dumb enough the first time around. Cheers. --Anon 1
After doing some more research on this non-story...
Almontaser is being made out to be some sort of victim fighting for principles. In reality, there are no principles to be fought over. The entire situation boils down to...
An Arab social organization (with ties to al Awda, which openly supports Hamas) printed T-shirts with the words "Intifada NYC" on them, and got Almontaser to wear one, apparently. She probably didn't give it two seconds of thought; she appears to be very active in NY civic life, and probably wore a million shirts by a million other organizations before.
Some New Yorkers - the kind who are on the lookout for Osama bin Laden at their local grocery store - saw the shirt and had a knee-jerk reaction, thinking that Almontaser was inciting terrorism in NYC.
Once someone made a connection between "Intifada NYC" T-shirts and the Arab school Almontaser was attempting to start up, the stage was set for misinformed outrage and a waste of perfectly good paper and lifetime on all sides.
Having made a big investment in time, resources and credibility, Almontaser offered her resignation to keep the school intact.
By this time, I'm sure the priority of her superiors was to stop their phones from ringing and get back to misappropriating education funds for pay raises.
After some time has passed, and Almontaser recovered her spirits, she wants her job back, or at least some cash settlement.
This is not the story everyone wants it to be. Jihadwatchers want to portray Almontaser as an Islamist sympathizer or worse, while some Arabs want to make her into a Joan of Arc, fighting against anti-Arab sentiment and the "elders of Zion".
She is neither, and probably should get her job back. It doesn't help her cause that the organization which printed the shirts refuses to comment on their meaning, leaving ambiguity that is annoying and unhelpful.
If she has any brains she will make sure to abstain from such controversy in the future, focusing instead on her school.
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